They sow. You grow.
Have you ever wanted to grow your own garden but don’t know where to start, or don’t think you have the green fingers necessary to keep a garden alive?
Rocket Gardens is a farm based west Cornwall company who take all the hard work out of growing a garden – they grow the organic seedlings from Soil Association approved seed suppliers, looking after them while they are young and vulnerable, then they package everything up into boxes and deliver straight to your door.
All you have to do is pick what garden you’d like to grow, put the plants in the ground and take care of them!
Rocket Gardens has been on the go now since 2005, and they know their stuff – between them all they have over 70 years’ worth of gardening experience.
They passionately believe that everyone can get growing – no matter whatever their lifestyle, wherever they live or how old they are.
Their range of gardens has been designed to suit spaces of every style, shape and size. Whether you’ve got a few window boxes or an entire allotment, you’ll find a Rocket Garden that’s just right.
Earlier on this year Rocket Gardens kindly sent me one of their large fruit gardens. Perfect timing, I thought, since builders moved in to our property in mid-January and completely decimated the garden I had – my decades-old rhubarb plants, gone – all my black currant bushes, gone, my gooseberry bush that had finally, after years of growing, produced seven gorgeous fruits last year – gone. It’s all gone.
The large fruit garden I received contained a fantastic collection of soft fruit bushes, canes and plants including: 1 x blackberry, 2 x raspberries, 2 x redcurrants, 2 x blackcurrants, 1 x gooseberry, 1 x tayberry, 12 x strawberry seedlings and 2 x rhubarb crowns. Perfect to replace my old garden.
They arrived in plain cardboard packaging in hay to protect them from damage during travel. Admittedly, the majority of the plants looked like dead sticks. They’re supposed to look like that. They arrived in a dormant state. Since I didn’t have a garden at the time I potted them all up in grow bags and large plant pots and placed them in a sheltered but sunny location.
They grew!
It’s been a few months now (and I still don’t have a garden! Two weeks’ work, we were told back in January, two weeks the builders were supposed to be here. It’s September now and they still aren’t finished…) and the strawberries and the blackcurrants have fruited! I’m seriously impressed with my garden, although they are still in plant pots in a concrete jungle.
Soon (fingers crossed) I will be able to get my plants into the earth, and next year I am expecting a beautiful bountiful harvest. I will update you all with recipes when it happens!
In the meantime, Rocket Gardens has kindly offered the chance for one of my UK readers to win one of their Instant Compact Herb Gardens RRP £24.99
This garden requires approximately 1.5m2 and can be grown on the balcony, in window boxes, on the patio or even on the kitchen window sill.
The Instant Compact Herb Garden contains 8 pots of growing herbs: Rosemary, Basil, Sage, Thyme, Parsley, Mint, Chives & Marjoram.
Please note that the contents of this garden may vary slightly depending upon the season.
They deliver these gardens from late April until Oct 31.
GIVEAWAY
Rocket Gardens have offered my readers the opportunity to win an Instant Compact Herb Garden RRP £24.99
HOW TO ENTER
For your chance to win an Instant Compact Herb Garden from Rocket Gardens RRP £24.99 enter using the Rafflecopter form below. Come back and tweet about the giveaway every day for more chances to win!
TERMS & CONDITIONS
This giveaway is open to UK entries only. Entrants must be age 18 or over. The winner will need to respond within 7 days of being contacted; failure to do this may result in another winner being selected.
The prize is offered and provided by Rocket Gardens. The prize is to win an Instant Compact Herb Garden RRP £24.99. There is no cash alternative and the prize is not transferable.
There is no entry fee and no purchase is necessary to enter this giveaway. The promoter (Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary) reserves the right to cancel or amend the giveaway and these terms and conditions without notice.
Entry into our giveaways will be deemed as acceptance of these terms and conditions.
If you need some help using Rafflecopter, here’s a quick clip to show you how. Rafflecopter will pick the winner at random from all the entries received. I will be verifying entries and any automated entries or those who have claimed they have made the mandatory blog post comment and really haven’t will be disqualified. It’s mandatory!
Closing date is midnight on Monday 28 September 2015 (GMT) and the winner will be announced shortly afterwards.
If you want to be kept up to date on my recipes, occasional craft tutorials, adventure stories and giveaways then please subscribe to my weekly newsletter; it gets sent out every Monday morning if there is new content. Your email address won’t be passed on to anyone, you will never be spammed and you are free to unsubscribe at any time, no questions asked. Make sure you confirm your subscription or you won’t receive the newsletter – if it hasn’t arrived check your junk mail folder.
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Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary was sent a large fruit garden from Rocket Gardens for review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are our own, although the photographs are from Rocket Gardens (my potted concrete jungle garden isn’t photogenic!). This is not a paid post.
Michelle Wild
Pork with fennel from my new Greek cookbook
claire little
soup
Chloe Bailey
A Herby and flavoursome vegetable bake
Nancy Bradford
Lamb and mint crock pot casserole with rice.
Mary Chez
Lamb with Rosemary
Aaron Milne
use them fresh on every meal
Natalie Crossan
An omlette
Anneka Hulse
roast chicken
Victoria Prince
soups and salads 🙂 among other things, love fresh herbs!
Annie
I’d try to grow berries of some description – I’d like to eat more healthily, so some homegrown fruit would be a godsend! 😀
sarah-dawn pope
I’d use them in soups, in pasta and in bread
Kerry Smith
Pasta arabiata
Kat Allinson
Spaghetti bolognese, garlic bread yummy!
Jayne K
Beef in red wine with fresh herbs
Megan Davies
Id like to make some kind of pesto
Andrew Hindley
Vegetable based soups
Barbara Handley
I would add them to my homemade juices and soups.
Mary Campbell
I’d love to make a Monster meatball pitta 🙂 Love Pitta bread and yoghurt, so the added herbs would make this a cracking dish! 🙂
Amy Beckett
A tomato sauce
Alison
Roast lamb with herbs
Isabelle Smith
i would add to a pasta xx
Kelly Ellen Hirst
I’d use them in a lamb Mousakka
Angela Morgan
lots of healthy tea
Deborah Hambleton
I would add coriander to soups. chilli’s and curries and basil to pasta
Krzysia
All Italian dishes and my homemade bread.
Jean
A whole range of soups
Michelle Jenkins
I would make pasta bake with homemade herby garlic bread
Caroline Signey
A nice chicken and herb casserole
Jamie
spaghetti bolognese with garlic bread 🙂
Jade Hewlett
An omelette
jo liddement
I would use the herbs to make some teas
Claire Barker
I would use it to make herb breaids, top pizzas and add to warming vegetable casseroles and soups.
Veronica Still
Herbs are used more and more in cooking .Learning new recipes all the time so a Herb Garden would be great x
Andrea Johnson
The chives would be in mash, the rosemary and mint with lamb for a start!
cat culmer
pasta
Lyndsey Beckford
I’d make pesto 🙂
Debbie Preston
I would make pea and mint soup
Sheri Darby
Pesto
Ellen Stafford
I would use it in a spag bol x
Louise Fairweather
Some lovely bread
Joanne Dewberry
Vegetable based soups, ideal for winter
alice lightning
love all fresh herbs I use in all my cooking
Fiona Mallard
Roast lamb with rosemary
Samantha Trimby
Lots of pesto, and pasta dishes. Yummy!
katie w
soups esp now it will be getting colder
Daniel Stacey
A very herby salad
Ray Becker
parsley in potato salad
EJ Dunn
Probably my thyme lamb chops with balsamic vinegar and maple syrup sauce!
claire toplis
pasata sauce
Maria P
soups and savoury pastries – we love pies 🙂
Solange
Pesto
Susan Ocock
Lamb studded with rosemary and garlic
Ann Williams
Coming up to casserole season now and chicken casseroles in particlar benefit from some nice fresh herbs to add flavour.
Agnieszka Sady
I would make a basil pesto. I would stuff a chicken with marjoram and rosemary for roasting. I would add parsley to a mushroom sauce. I’d slow cook some pork with sage and apples… I’d use a bit of all in Italian soups and pasta sauces!
Lizzy Cooper
Id add them to smoothies!
Annie P
I would make homemade mint sauce and Rosemary dumplings
frances hopkins
Some pasta sauce
Angie Hoggett
a nice cheese and herb omelette for breakfast
Suzie W
I’d make pesto rather than using a jar.
My pet bunny would probably steal some herbs to eat too!
emilia nastaly-howard
My veg soups 🙂
denise cross
herby brread
Sarah Bacchus
I’d add them to my autumnal soups x
lynn neal
I would make a herb crust and oven bake mushrooms and courgettes in it1
Monica Gilbert
I’d try making pasta sauce.
lyndsey
i would put the herbs in everything for extra flavour
Elizabeth Gurney
I would use the herbs in some homemade sauces
MichelleD
Pesto, to serve with fish !
Robyn Logan Clarke
A pesto
Hekna
I think I’d start with a pesto
Ellie C
All kinds of vegan pesto
Megan Kinsey
I’d make the best salad ever!
Allan Wilson
Lots of Italian Food
C Kennedy
I use fresh basil in most things, but would make roast lamb with the rosemary
carole n
I would use some rosemary on roast lamb
Julie Edwards
I would use the herbs in my spellwork and potions. Fresh herbs are the best!
liz ferguson
hey pesto xx
Kim M
Love herbs in omelettes especially chives and parsley
Donna W
I love roasting tomatoes with basil and thyme, I use fresh mint in Mojitos and rosemary in garlic roast potatoes.
Mary Baldwin
I’m thinking a finely chopped selection would go beautifully in an omelette.
betony bennett
Some sort of pasta sauce
Justine
I’d make an nice pesto which i would marinade and cover over a shoulder of lamb and slow cook and serve with baby minted potatoes and fresh green salad with a drizzle of herb infused olive oil
Kathleen Bywaters
I would love to add some fresh herbs to home made pizzas! And toss some in salads to give with it!
Melissa
I love anything with coriander, so probably a curry
Daniel Todd
Basil for a nice tomato soup
Helen M
Pesto
Ian Goodyear
mINTY NEW POTATOES
Ian Goodyear
mINTY NEW POTATOES
Rebecca Townsend
I’m make herby potato wedges
cathyj
i love to use in tomato sauce for pasta
Molly
I’ve only got a balcony, so herbs in pots are essential in both making my balcony look pretty, being used in all my cooking, and for decorating my table. I can never get enough herbs, and love the idea of the rocket garden. Love your video!
Emily Knight
So many things! But definitely fresh mint tea, a parsley sauce for fish, and roast lamb with rosemary 🙂
Michelle Banks
i love pesto, so would have a go at that x
Nicki Evans
Lemon and herb chicken with Greek potatoes.
Tammy Tudor
yummy tomato sauce
AMANDA ROBINSON
chicken lasagne with lots of fresh basil
Ann Willers
Lovely rosemary crusted leg of lamb with chive mash, garlic and rosemary roast potatoes and minted peas.
Caroline H
I’d make my own pestos – they’re great with herbs other than basil and make fabulous pasta dishes, marinades and salad dressings.
Nat thomason
Tomato and herb soup
Sandra Clarke
A Pasta dish
Julie Ward
Broth with herb dumplings
Helen Thurston
Rosemary and Garlic roast potatoes/sweet potatoes, minted green peas, homemade pesto with the basil …..
Maxine G
I’d make a herby rice salad with feta and vegetables to celebrate the end of the summer
Gabrielle Powell
I’d start with Rosemary on potatoes
Donna R
I’m really into Rosemary at the moment – great in greek cookery.
Anthony G
I use herbs in all my meals, but I’ve been using a lot of dried herbs. I think fresh herbs would make a difference to my cooking.
Ruth Harwood
Love adding rosemary to potatoes and various other herbs to my pasta dishes 🙂
Clare H
add them to my slow cooked meals
Corinne Peat
I would make my own pasta sauce with lots of herbs.
Kelly L
I would use them to make a sausage and chorizo pasta dish!
Carole
A nice roast dinner
leanne weir
pasta with a lovely fresh herby tomato sauce
Becca Staples
With autumn coming it would have to be some tasty soup x
Cherryl Thomas
I use herbs all the time (or should that be thyme!) adding them to all different types of salads, casseroles, boulangeries, lasagna and pasta dishes, and even the humble sandwich really benefits from the addition of some herbs. I particularly love a tomato, thyme, courgette, buckwheat and crispy chickpea salad.
kim plant
beer stew x
helen tovell
roast chicken with thyme and parsley buttered potatoes
Andy Kadir-Buxton
Mint choc chip icecream, with dark chips, and fresh mint, no sugar, great for problem stomachs.
Rosie Dunningham
I would make homemade pesto, and chimmichurri sauce! Rosie x
chase
potato dishes with the rosemary and chives
Kay Panayi
A nice herby sauce
Kirsty Fox
I would make some sort of pasta dish.
Karl Borowy
the best tasting soup in the world
Jazz
I’d love to cook a lovely carrot and corriander soup.
I love cooking with herbs but they’re always from a jar – so this would be an amazing prize for me!
sharon martin
pasta with a lovely herby tomato sauce
Paula Readings
Basil for my pizza’s
Holly Gibson
Pasta sauce
fozia Akhtar
A yummy pasta sauce
Samantha Wheeler
I’d like to make my own pesto!
Tracy Gladman
I would make herby stuffed chicken
Anne-Marie Wigley
rubs for chicken/fish and sauces
Lorna Kennedy
Oh I love gremolata – I use any herbs I have handy though, not just parsley. I’m afraid I don’t stick to traditional uses! I love grabbing a handful of herbs and and stuffing them into a chicken, or into a pesto or pasta sauce.
MANDY DOHERTY
Some herby bread
Lyla
Some lovely warming winter soups
Rosemary Rowe
I’d make my own salad dressing with olive oil, and fresh pesto too!
Chantel Stead
Pasta sauce, so tasty!
S Bufton
Roast Lamb and Herby Roast Potatoes
Paul Wilson
A nice tomato sauce.
Rob Hook
Homemade pasta sauces. Fresh herbs make it so much better
Heather T
A boiled ham with parsley sauce and minted peas
Reece Williams
Would make some tzatziki!
Debbie Callender-O"Neill
I would make a green detox soup
Juli Savage
I would make pasta sauce and sprinkle over pizza’s
Nicola Biven
I would use them in my homemade winter soups
Charlene
Roast chicken breasts, with roasted vegetables and lemon and herb cous cous!
Sharon Hopkinson
Omelette with herbs
Lisa Everaert
Pasta sauces – YUM!
Bryony Brooke
I’d make pesto – you can’t beat fresh homemade pesto
Susan Crosswaite
I would use them in home made pasta sauces and casseroles
Christina Brown
I love using fresh herbs! I reckon the first thing I’d make is spicy falafel wraps as I have a major craving for them recently 🙂
Amelia Kennedy
I’d use them in pasta dishes, salads and savour meat dishes.
caroline walliss
I would use them on salads and pizzas.x
Veronica Still
I would use them in most everyday cooking love the rosemary smell when roasting ,
Carol M
I would make a delicious spaghetti sauce with fresh herbs.
Leanne Lunn
Italian sauces, curries I through them in everything to add some flavour.
Laura
Oh wow what a lovely idea!! This would work perfectly for our garden, plus I love salad
Laura
Linda Bunning
I would add them to loads of things, incuding…Herby mash, soups, herb bread, shepherds pie, salads, bolognese and my dogs dinner!
Spencer Broadley
I like them on many dishes, but pizza and chicken chassure probably the favourite
Iris W
I would use them in my italian pasta sauces and salads
Caroline Blaza
Herbs to go with roast dinners x
Jean
What a brilliant idea!
We use a lot of fresh herbs and like you are rebuilding our garden. At this time of year I can see us using them for casseroles and stews.
Kat Lucas
I would use the herbs to make fresh Salsa
Dee Dmonte
I would bake a loaf with fresh herbs.
Angela McDonald
I’d add the herbs to freshly cooked pasta and also use them to garnish freshly cooked steaks!
Kym Robson
Would use the sage and thyme with chicken
pete c
they would be added to a lamb casserole
victoria thurgood
to a chicken casserole
Laura Nice
would add herbs to my roast chicken
Grant R
Basil for my home-made pesto!
Julie Booth
I would add them to bolognese
melanie stirling
Bolognese sauce and roast lamb.
Helena
I’d make basil
Helena
Pesto with basil, I meant! Ha! Pressed enter too soon.
nicola clarkson
herb butter
ashleigh allan
i would make a curry!
winnie
oven roasted root vegetables with herbs
Emma Ellams
I would add them to my lasagne. I would also add mint to new potatoes, it makes them taste amazing!
Iona Cornish
Garlic and Herb Bread
Heather Macklin
I particularly like mint, and would use it to make tea, ice cream, and mojitos
Tracey Parker
Mediterranean roasted vegetables
William Gould
We use herbs quite often in our cooking, but don’t grow any! We should really as we grow lots of fruit – blackberries, blueberries, gooseberries, blackcurrants, apples, pears, cherries and plums, all on miniatures trees I hasten to add!
kellyjo walters
I would plant basil, parsely as they are what I mainly use
Leona S Fisher
I’d use my fresh herbs for my rabbits! They enjoy them so it would be their treat!
Claire D
I would cook with it all the time to spice al dishes up
Andrea Fletcher
I’d put them with some home grown tomatoes from my greenhouse and make tomato soup.
susan younger
stew and dumplings and mixed herbs
Karen S
pesto
clair downham
curries and a roast lamb dinner
Tracy
Herby bread to go with an Italian dish.
Louise Gazeley
I would add chives, corriander and basil to a vegetable curry and marjoram to a syllabub for a Tudor twist !!
Jessica Powell
I’d use them in a curry 🙂
laura banks
roasted herb vegetables
KATHY D
SHEPHERDS pIE
Liane
Roasted vegetables with loads of herbs and a grilled chicken breast
Jo Bryan
I would make a baked chicken dish using sage and thyme, the chives would be in a green salad and rosemary baked potatoes. I love using herbs, such a really good gift.
Kirsti Peters
I would make a more herby version of a Pesto and serve simply over some pasts.
Samantha Loughlin
Tomatoe mozzarella and basil pizza
laura stewart
i’d add herbs to my homemade burgers xx
kirsty webb
Anything i love to use fresh herbs
Hester McQueen
All savoury dishes are improved with fresh herbs! Love being able to use fresh herbs in any of my cooking or baking as it so improves the flavour. All pasta dishes would benefit from fresh herbs.
Liam Bishop
Spinach and herb risotto, lovely.
Sarah Davison
Meatballs in tomato sauce
Heather Haigh
I think I’d start with a lovely herby risotto and a herby chicken stew.
Frandces Darvill
I love making Homemade Pizza tastes great with Basil, chives and Lemon Thyme 🙂
Martina Pichova
I would mostly use them in soups.
Sally Collingwood
A nice stew
Emma
I love making herbal teas 🙂
Hayley Atkins
I would make my partner very happy as although I am green fingered when I grow vegetables,I havent had much luck with growing herbs! My partner is a very competant cook and having home grown herbs picked fresh from the garden would be great!
Lauren Tourle
I would make a tasty spag bol 🙂
Suzanne M
Herby potatoes, which herbs and cooking method depends on what it’s being served with – lamb would be rosemary wedges, steak would be buttery mash with a little of all them mixed in.
Tracy K Nixon
I’make a tasty lasagne for my family!
mellissa williams
What a great idea. I dont have a garden so this would be perfect for me. Fresh herbs make a big difference to a meal.
Diana
I love this! I just planted a pot with basil seeds yesterday I hope it won’t take too long until I can use it in salads and pesto! I will be entering the giveaway and if I win, I will keep the pots in the kitchen’s balcony and will be adding the fresh herbs in salads, baking, and cooking!
Sabine Bassler
I use fresh herbs in just about everything I cook. It makes such a difference from dried herbs. My favourite herbs are basil and oregano as I love Italian food.
Tracey Peach
I would add the herbs to a pasta dish to liven it up 🙂